State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132nd, recently hosted a press conference at Woodlawn Fire Company, South Whitehall, to introduce House Bill 1081, he is co-sponsoring with state Rep Tina Davis, D-141st.

Schlossberg standing with volunteer firefighters and officials from both Woodlawn and Green-awald fire companies and emergency medical providers and officials from South Whitehall Township said this bill will provide background check fee waivers for volunteer emergency re-sponse personnel and firefighters.

Schlossberg also applauded Gov. Tom Wolf's decision to waive the cost of background check fees for volunteers working with children.

"The safety and well being of children is without a doubt everybody's top priority," Schlossberg said. "Background checks help to add peace of mind for parents who entrust their children to somebody else for day care, school, soccer, Girl Scouts or place of worship."

Schlossberg said the reforms to state laws enhancing child protection last year are good and necessary, but there were, however, unintended consequences to those reforms.

"For volunteers and organizations staffed entirely by volunteers left many, many concerns about the cost of getting these clearances," Schlossberg said.

Schlossberg said Gov. Wolf announced Pennsylvania will waive the fee for state police background checks and state child abuse clearances,

"The governor has heard the voices of many volunteers including the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers standing behind me, who are affected by these burdensome fees and acted to protect the tradition of community service found throughout the commonwealth," Schlossberg stated.

"While Gov. Wolf's change addresses volunteers, it does not address core public safety officers who risk their lives as paid professionals including EMS workers from Cetronia, police and EMS officials from Allentown. We owe it to them.

"The General Assembly needs to make sure that the language found in House Bill 1081 is amended into this bill so it can become law so we can make sure that we aren't placing an undue burden on our vital public safety officers."

Schlossberg said he co-sponsored this bill because it is so important.

"I want to thank Rep. Tina Davis for her leadership in enacting this law," Schlossberg said.

South Whitehall Township Commissioner Christina "Tori" Morgan also commented on House Bill 1081.

"We appreciate your support with this bill and legislation and look forward to seeing it pass and go through not just for our volunteers but for all our emergency services," Morgan said. "Volunteers here in South Whitehall are very important to us and any support you can give us moving forward we truly appreciate," she added.

Cetronia Ambulance Corps Chief Executive Officer Larry Weisch also commented on the bill.

"This legislation is incredible important to us as an organization with the staff of 150 personnel, many active volunteers, particularly in the perspective, we have a lot of youth camps that bring young volunteers into our organization to serve on ambulances, it is a hugh expensive organization," Wiersch stated. "While we are very much in favor of making sure every child is protected from abuse, it is important that we have the safety and cooperation of our state legislators to really support an amendment that allows us to waive the fee for all of our staff so we can reinvest that money into life saving technology to serve our community better."

Woodlawn Fire Capt. Todd Fahringer also commented on the bill.

"This legislation will help volunteer fire departments in the fact it is money we don't have in our budget to shell out to pay for this, we have to pay for training and gear from our own pockets" Fahringer said.

He said sometimes the volunteers have to pay for the clearances.

"This [bill] will help us save in our budget, and to put the money towards training and equipment," Fahringer said.